''Zeppelin'' is a multidirectional

scrolling shooter Shoot 'em ups (also known as shmups or STGs) are a subgenre of action games. There is no consensus as to which design elements compose a shoot 'em up; some restrict the definition to games featuring spacecraft and certain types of character m ...

Cathryn Mataga Cathryn Mataga (born William Mataga) is a game programmer and founder of independent video game company Junglevision. Under the name William, she wrote Atari 8-bit computer games for Synapse Software in the early to mid 1980s, including '' Sham ...

(credited as William Mataga) and published in 1983 by

Synapse Software Synapse Software Corporation (marketed as SynSoft in the UK) was an American software developer and publisher founded in 1981 by Ihor Wolosenko and Ken Grant. Synapse published application software and developer tools, but was primarily known f ...

for

Atari 8-bit computers The Atari 8-bit computers, formally launched as the Atari Home Computer System, are a series of home computers introduced by Atari, Inc., in 1979 with the Atari 400 and Atari 800. The architecture is designed around the 8-bit MOS Technology 650 ...

. A

Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in ...

port programmed by David Barbour was released in 1984.

Gameplay

In ''Zeppelin'' the player takes on the role of a pilot exploring an underground dungeon complex. The goal is to bypass or destroy the cave's defenses, such as laser gates, enemy zeppelins and falling rocks, while trying to blow up enemy lairs using dynamite. Parts of the enemy defense system can be disabled by shooting switches scattered around the cave. The game offers a two-player mode where one player controls the movement of the zeppelin, while the other controls the guns.

Reception

The game has been met with positive reviews. ''The

Addison-Wesley Addison–Wesley is an American publisher of textbooks and computer literature. It is an imprint of Pearson plc, a global publishing and education company. In addition to publishing books, Addison–Wesley also distributes its technical titles ...

Book of Atari Software 1984'' gave the game a very positive rating (B+) and praised the graphics and two-player mode. ''Bits and Bytes'' gave a very positive review of the Commodore 64 version of ''Zeppelin'' in its September 1983 issue: "The sound and graphics are exceptionally good, the colours rich and well-defined, and the background intricately detailed."

References

External links

* *{{Internet Archive game, id=a8b_Zeppelin_1983_Synapse_Software_US_a
Review
in Electronic Fun with Computers and Games
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Antic Alphanumeric Television Interface Controller (ANTIC) is an LSI ASIC dedicated to generating 2D computer graphics to be shown on a television screen or computer display. Under the direction of Jay Miner, the chip was designed in 1977–1978 b ...

Review
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SoftSide ''SoftSide'' is a defunct computer magazine, begun in October 1978 by Roger Robitaille and published by SoftSide Publications of Milford, New Hampshire. History Dedicated to personal computer programming, ''SoftSide'' was a unique publication wi ...

1983 video games Fiction about airships Atari 8-bit computer games Commodore 64 games Scrolling shooters Synapse Software games Video games developed in the United States